Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In my Member’s statement today I talked about asking the Department of Transportation to move what I would define as simple or regular services to on-line, and certainly give our consumers or constituencies opportunity to do that. If you live in Liard or maybe in another type of small community like that, you have to go to Fort Simpson to do your licence plate renewal for your vehicle. That’s something you could do on-line. If you’re busy in Yellowknife and you don’t have an hour to go sit down just for a quick renewal, you could process it on-line.

My question is such: What’s holding the Department of Transportation from moving forward on an on-line service option that would help our citizens or constituents to do business a little better and more efficiently?

Thank you, Mr. Hawkins. The honourable Minister of Transportation, Mr. David Ramsay.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We will look at this. It’s an issue and I appreciate the Member bringing it up here in the House today. It’s certainly an issue that the department takes seriously and if there’s a way that we can provide services better to the public, that’s something that we’re interested in doing. If it’s on-line, that is something that we will look at.

I appreciate the answer from the Minister. In Saskatchewan, to name one, Ontario, to name two, and there are several others, they’re quite aggressive and provide kiosks and public advertisements all over the place saying you could do this type of service.

Quite frankly, what does “we’ll look at it” mean? The general public hears that answer almost the same as maybe yes, maybe no. It doesn’t really have an answer. What does his answer mean by “we’ll look at it”?

Again I thank the Member for bringing up the question of on-line services provided by DOT. I’m not sure if I wasn’t clear enough, but the answer was yes, we will look at it and we will provide Members with an update as we move forward with plans to provide on-line services.

Quite simply the question really is built around the factors are we going to look at it and see if we can do something this year, is it something that’s on the wish list that someday we’ll talk about it. That’s the type of answer I’m looking for, because constituents are following our

proceedings on-line or ask us in person and will want to know what does “we’ll look at it” mean. We need something a little more specific.

I committed to the House and to the Member that we will entertain on-line services by the Department of Transportation, and as to a timeline, I will get back to the Member and to the other Members with a timeline on how we’re going to do that.

There is some work that has to be done and we will get to doing that work. I can assure the House that the work will begin and we’ll hopefully have an answer for the Member on an implementation date sooner rather than later. I’d just be guessing here today and I don’t want to do that.

Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. Final supplementary, Mr. Hawkins.

No, thank you.

The honourable Member for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this morning I gave an overview in terms of just the initiative on the proposed Wildlife Act changes. My question for follow up is for the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

Can the Minister comment in terms of the update of the progress of the proposed changes to the Wildlife Act?

Thank you, Mr. Nadli. The honourable Minister responsible for Environment and Natural Resources, Mr. Miltenberger.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is a major gathering planned for the early part of November where the working group members are going to come into town, and hopefully the Aboriginal leaders, to have a discussion amongst themselves, and then with ourselves and myself as Minister and the department officials, to look at the issue of the conferences the Member talked about. We’re hoping, at that point, to come to consensus on the way forward.

We’ve been working, as well, with the stakeholders, the Wildlife Act advisory group, and the feedback they’ve provided us, and we want to be able to respond to the SWAAG, as well, on a go-forward basis. The intent now is to be able to conclude the work and be able to come forward in February to introduce this bill. Thank you.

Can the Minister comment on the outcomes of public consultations that were held last spring and summer?

The consultation feedback has gone well. The bill has been reviewed and the bill was substantially the same as what was before the House in the last Assembly. The issues that have come up, there have been some technical issues, there have been some issues of processes for ongoing feedback. For example, for groups like the SWAAG. But overall, we’ve concluded all the reviews. The one contentious issue that is really out there is the structure of the conference, and as well, we want to give a full and comprehensive response to the concerns put forward and recommendations put forward by the stakeholders, the Wildlife Act advisory groups.

I’d like to thank the Minister for that. There are two major initiatives happening right now. One of them is devolution, of course, and the other one is the proposed changes to the Wildlife Act. They touch on the very core of fundamental treaty rights and Aboriginal title, so I wanted to ask the Minister how will the devolution negotiations affect the proposed Wildlife Act.

The Wildlife Act discussions have been going on for well over a decade, into the last century, so I can recollect it all the way back to the 13th Assembly. This will be

done and is being done independent of devolution. Even if there was no devolution, the Wildlife Act would go forward. It’s been identified as a priority by nearly all the Aboriginal governments, by this government, by people in the Northwest Territories as long overdue. They will be compatible at the end of the day. They reaffirm the respect and recognition of Aboriginal rights, both the Wildlife Act and the work being done with devolution. In that regard, there’s clear consistency. But the Wildlife Act is a piece of legislation that this government, this territory has to look at and it’s been intent on getting done now for a long time and stands on its own as a separate initiative.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Nadli.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What is being done to address the Aboriginal people’s concerns about the new Wildlife Act in terms of its potential effects on treaty rights and Aboriginal title? Mahsi.

The Wildlife Act is a unique piece of legislation that has, in fact, been drafted in partnership with the Aboriginal governments. We’ve had the working group members comprised of members from Inuvialuit, Gwich’in, Sahtu, Tlicho, Metis, as well as seats at the table for the Akaitcho and representatives from the Dehcho First Nation, should they choose to attend and when they choose to attend. It has been that collective that has worked to draft the Wildlife Act, a unique process in this country of Canada, a

unique bill that has no equal in this country. We have made tremendous efforts to involve the Aboriginal governments, including the First Nations, and we will continue that commitment. We reflect that practice in a whole host of areas with our discussions on devolution, with our discussions on water, and the Wildlife Act is indicative of that kind of commitment to process as well.

Thank you, Mr. Miltenberger. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I listened with interest to my colleagues from Yellowknife talking about the wait times for driver testing. I understand that there is urgency sometimes for people to get their driver’s licence, and it is a concern. I’d like to put a little different spin on it.

About 40 years ago next week I was turning 16 and I wanted to get my driver’s licence on my birthday, so I didn’t stay in the small town or go to the city where you had to wait. I went to this other small town where they issued driver testing and driver’s licences. I got my parents to drive me to that town, and I passed my learners and I got my driver’s licence on my 16th birthday.

But, Mr. Speaker, the wait time in Hay River isn’t three months. I understand it’s less than two weeks, so I have a suggestion for people in Yellowknife that maybe they’d like to just take a quick flight over the lake, come down to Hay River. We’ve got a small company there that does driver training. I’m sure they’d give you a quick orientation and you could probably, for a small fee, use their car and take your driver testing.

I’d like to ask the Minister of Transportation: A driver’s licence issued in any community in the Northwest Territories is good anywhere to drive anywhere, I trust? Thank you.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Minister responsible for Transportation, Mr. Ramsay.

Yes, Mr. Speaker. A Northwest Territories driver’s licence issued at any community in the Northwest Territories is good anywhere in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.